Santos Mahogany for cutting board

[David Gross]

Hi everyone. I know the topic of wood selection for cutting boards has been discussed before, but I was hoping to get some input about Santos Mahogany. I have a nice wide board left over from an earlier project, and I'd like to make a cutting board out of it.

Others have cautioned against using mahogany because it is on the soft side and open-grained. Santos mahogany is very dense and hard compared to the usual Honduras mahogany, but I'm wondering if it's still too porous??

Any thoughts?

[James Biddle]

Santos Mahogany isn't really part of the mahogany family. I've used it for appetizer trays and I think it should hold up to knives cutting on it.
Santos mahogany (Myroxylon balsamum) is also called balsamo (English) and palo de balsamo (Central America) in the lumber business. Although this wood isn't related to Honduran or African mahogany, it's a rich, dark mahogany-colored wood and is actually a bit harder than Honduran mahogany.

[Dennis Kelly]

I don't know how closely the two are related, but I used African Mahogany on my chrismas cutting boards order this year. It is porous, but I thought as long as I'm using the edge or end grain of the wood I should be fine.
If you really want to get a great effect to the mahogany, try contrasting it with an ash or hard maple. Just my .02

Dennis

[John Bush]

I used Santos Mahogany for a mission chair and finished with rubbed Seafin oil. Beautiful stuff and with a rubbed mineral oil finish it should be fine for a cutting board. It is a great wood to work with, mostly because it has a wonderful aroma when milling. Kind of nutty and sweet,........ doesn't linger on the palate, no Oaky aftetaste and no hangover.....

[Darrin Vanden Bosch]

Although I pretty much thought it wasn't a Mahogany I don't know what it is actually related to. As I have 30-40' of it I'd like to know so I have a little
more information for my customers.
Thanks,
Darrin

[michael gallagher]

I don't know how closely the two are related, but I used African Mahogany on my chrismas cutting boards order this year. It is porous, but I thought as long as I'm using the edge or end grain of the wood I should be fine.
If you really want to get a great effect to the mahogany, try contrasting it with an ash or hard maple. Just my .02

Dennis

I made one almost 30 years ago in shop class out of African Mahogany and Ash and I'm still using it today. It's a little bowed in the middle from use, and the mahogany is porous, but it's definitely a keeper - I like the contrasts in the color, plus its something I point to my kids and say "that's one of Daddy's first woodworking projects" which amazes them you can make something vs. buying it at the store where it miraculously appears.

Due to the porous nature of the mahogany, I try not to cut raw meats on it anymore (especially raw chicken). Then again, I'm still alive today and in relatively good health, so maybe all of the germ-phobia folks aren't right 100% of the time.

[David Gross]

Thanks for the comments! I'll post a pic when the project's completed.